Coulson Watches
by Fire Drastar
Summary: He was put in charge of them, this bunch of misfits, and charged with molding them into the team. Coulson reflects on each Avenger, their memories together, and his role in their future. (Contains references to MCU & AoS)


**Coulson Watches**

He watched them. He always watched them.

The first two were a surprise, an anomaly in his otherwise ordered life. He did not intend to watch them, for them to become so important to him. They were supposed to be another pair of faceless agents, just as he was supposed to be a faceless agent to them.

It all changed in Budapest. It was a mission that was cock-eyed from the get go, forcing them into a whirlwind of danger and quickly placed trust. There was so much betrayal and paranoia and at the end of it all a lifelong bond was forged from all the destruction.

He watched her even though she pretended she did not need it. In fact, they all pretended that they did not need the watching, the concern. However, in her case, self-reliance and subterfuge was ingrained to her very core. He liked to say he knew her, as much as she allowed anyone to know her. He saw her pain when the archer was captured, saw the grudging respect develop for her teammates and the attraction to the doctor blossom.

In turn, she watched him. She saw what could not be seen, and forced it all to the forefront when necessary. If she ever saw him again, it would be brief acceptance followed by a world of pain when he least expected it.

The other member of the original trio was accustomed to observing as well. He watched the world from afar. From his nest the archer was almost as good at observing as himself.

He knew the archer's greatest secret, the secret of his mate and fledglings. He was honored by the trust provided, and would watch them as closely as if they were his own.

Once he was not able to watch him. Duty forced them into different roles during the crisis. This resulted in the cube being stolen and the archer being brainwashed. So much pain. For the archer and the watcher. After all the arrival of the demigod did result in his death.

His absence hit the archer hard, especially since he blamed himself for his death, for all the deaths. That day the trio was broken into a duo, and at the current time they can not be re-united. In many ways, it has been left too long, and it would almost be cruel to blatantly re-insert himself in their lives. But still he watches.

The next person he heard about he did not watch at first. He was glad he did not have to worry about containment in this instance. He did feel vague sympathy for the doctor, transformed by the very substance he studied.

Now, he regretted not knowing the brilliant scientist or the untamed creature better before his departure. He knew him better now from his watching though, never having the chance to get to know him up close. He saw that he was a worthy man, a good man. A man with a pacifist's heart, afraid of the damage he could cause. Willing to lose control of himself for his friends.

He saw the doctor bend, afraid of the day he might break. He saw the doctor abandon his friends for their own sake, for his own sake, so there might be less violence.

He had the, ahem, privilege, of meeting the fourth up close and personal. It was always refreshing to have another individual to match wits with, even the self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Their relationship was fraught with secrets and mutual respect. Neither of them displayed their trust or their game plan easily.

One of his favorite moments was when he hacked into JARVIS to leave his message urgently.

Now though, he watched the man to make sure there was no downward spiral, but he also had to watch to make sure he would not be discovered. If there was one person able to drag his existence out to the reaches of the web, it would be the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. SHIELD must remain in the shadows, he must remain in the shadows. Which was becoming more difficult with the discovery of the Inhumans. If the man in the suit of armor became the least bit concerned, a mere whisper of his presence would be all that was necessary for his continued existence to be discovered and pulled back into the light

The fifth one was a surprise. An 0-8-4 had landed outside of a small town in New Mexico and had brought with it a family feud of god-like proportions. His introduction to the fifth was when he watched him careen crazily through the base in order to reach the hammer, only to breakdown in despair upon discovery of his inability to lift said hammer. He captured the crazy man, and allowed him to be released on the hunch that he was something more.

He did feel bad about confiscating all of their equipment though.

He watched the man's good heart overcome his confusion of a different world, and knew that this demigod would always remain apparent, with his ability to travel between two worlds.

He felt he could relate to the other man's plight: they both were continually betrayed and deceived by someone they trusted implicitly. What his brother was to the demigod was what Ward was to him. The clock is not to be turned back, their actions are not able to be erased.

The final of the originals, he was ecstatic to meet him. The "First Avenger", the one whose exploits prompted him down his path. The one whose trading cards he coveted, almost more than Lola. When the first, conscious that is, meeting happened, he was tongue-tied and tripped over his own words.

He watched though. His boyish worship developed into a deep respect for the man. He saw as the man held together the 'team', a mixed bag of mavericks and loose cannons. He was proud as he watched his childhood hero lead the team. He watched as the two of them fought the same battle, to remove the sickness, the parasite Hydra from inside of his beloved SHIELD. The "First Avenger" started the war, but it was he, the watcher, who finished it and scrambled to clean up the mess afterwards.

Others came in, were introduced to the inner circle: a friend with a mechanical arm that was thought dead, a soldier with wings, and a Lieutenant Colonel that would do anything for the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

He was unable to watch the original team as closely as he hoped. Sometimes he got distracted. He had a new team, a new SHIELD after all, new people crowding for his attention that needed to be watched.

He was not able to prevent the blunders. He did not foresee Hydra, just as he did not foresee Ultron. He was there though, protecting them all in his absence. Where do you think the Helicarrier came from after all?

The new ones, the twins. He at first did not know what to make of them. The girl would have to prove herself if she was to remain. For many reasons, he knew she would stay. And in time, he would watch her as closely as the rest.

He could see the divisions, the cracks splintering between the "First Avenger" and the man in the suit, but he did not know how to stop them. He did not truly understand the trauma within either's mind.

He saw many things in his watchings. He saw others who had potential, potential for his team, potential for theirs. He laughed to himself when the ant defeated the soldier with wings in order to save the world from Cross Tech. In time, the ant and many others would be introduced, the dynamics of the team he once watched over would be changed almost beyond recognition. Still he would watch though.

He told himself that he watched for security. The safety of the world, maybe even of the universe, was at stake.

In truth, his watching showed that he cared. But they could not know. They could never know that he was alive. They could never know that he cared. They could never know that he watched.


End file.
